President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal's parent company, its owner and two reporters, over a report claiming Trump wrote a "bawdy" personal note to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein in 2003.

The lawsuit, filed in Miami, names Dow Jones, News Corp and conservative media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, claiming the paper slandered him and violated libel laws.

Earlier, Trump had threatened that he would force Murdoch "to testify in my lawsuit against him and his 'pile of garbage' newspaper".

Trump says the note, which the paper reported he'd sent for Epstein's 50th birthday, is "fake". It comes amid a backlash from his supporters over his handling of the Epstein case files.

Trump acknowledged that he and members of his staff attempted to halt publication of the story. He said the newspaper and Murdoch "were warned directly" they would be sued if they printed the article, describing it as "false, malicious, and defamatory".

The lawsuit also names the two reporters who wrote the story, Khadeeja Safdar and Joseph Palazzolo.

Earlier on Friday, Trump took to his Truth Social platform, writing: "I look forward to getting Rupert Murdoch to testify in my lawsuit against him and his 'pile of garbage' newspaper, the WSJ. That will be an interesting experience!!!"

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), a letter bearing Trump's name "contained several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker".

"Inside the outline of the naked woman was a typewritten note styled as an imaginary conversation between Trump and Epstein, written in the third person," the paper reports.

It reportedly contains a joking reference that "Enigmas never age" and allegedly ends with the words: "A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret."

Trump denied writing the note after the article was published on Thursday, posting: "These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures."

On Friday, Trump declined to answer reporters' questions about his relationship with Epstein, and why he had not ordered the release of more documents.

Instead, he asked the Attorney General to produce documents related to secretive grand jury testimony, which could prove to be a lengthy court process. It's unclear when or if those documents will be released, or if they contain the details Trump's supporters have been demanding be released publicly.

Trump's order concerning grand jury testimony came after days of sustained pressure from some of his most loyal supporters demanding further disclosures in the Epstein case.

Some Trump loyalists have called for Attorney General Pam Bondi to resign after she reversed course on releasing certain documents related to Epstein.

In February, Bondi said that a "client list" belonging to Epstein was "sitting on my desk right now". Then last week, her office announced that there is no such "client list".

Chad Bianco, a Republican sheriff running for California governor, told BBC News that Trump's handling of the Epstein files was "not what I was expecting" and that "millions" of his followers are disappointed.

"We feel like we're being talked down to like stupid children."

Trump and Murdoch have a relationship that goes back decades.

The 94-year-old media tycoon's media empire, which includes Fox News, is often credited with helping propel Trump to the White House.

But the two grew more distant over the years and their relationship started to collapse following Trump's loss at the ballot box in 2020 to Joe Biden.

"We want to make Trump a non-person," Murdoch wrote in an email that emerged during court battles over Fox's role spreading misinformation in the 2020 election.

Trump's more recent victory in 2024 appeared to bring the two together again. During a February visit to the White House, Trump referred to Murdoch as "a class by himself" and "an amazing guy".

On Sunday, the two men were pictured together attending the Fifa World Cup in New Jersey.

Attorney General Bondi was also seen watching the match from the president's private box.

Meanwhile, members of Congress are pushing to pass a "discharge petition" that would force Bondi to "make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in the possession of the Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Attorneys' Offices" relating to Epstein.

The effort has brought together some of Congress's fiercest opponents, including Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene and Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who are both signed on as supporters.

Parts of the UK are braced for potentially dangerous flash flooding as thunderstorms and torrential rain are set arrive over the weekend.

The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for south-east England as more than a month's worth of rain is forecast to fall in a matter of hours on Saturday morning.

It says fast-flowing and deep floodwaters are likely, leading to road and transport disruption, as well as power cuts.

The torrential downpours come days after a third UK heatwave of the year that parched swathes of the UK and led to several hosepipe bans being declared.

This will make flooding more likely and severe as the dry ground will not be able to absorb as much water.

• Why drought can lead to dangerous flooding

The amber warning covers a stretch of the south coast, London and Cambridge, and is in force from 04:00 BST to 11:00 on Saturday.

Between 20 and 40mm of rain could fall within an hour in this area, the Met Office has warned, which could accumulate to 70-100mm in just a few hours.

It said homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, which will happen "quickly", while this amount of surface water will make driving difficult and may lead to road closures.

Lightning strikes, hail and strong winds may also cause train and bus cancellations.

Yellow weather warnings will cover the rest of eastern, central and northern England and a portion of eastern Scotland. A yellow warning is already in force for parts of eastern England.

Amber warnings indicated there is an increased chance severe weather could affect people's day-to-day lives, including a potential danger to life. Yellow warnings are less severe.

The last amber warning over London was in January 2024, when Storm Henk hit parts of central England and Wales, according to the Met Office.

After arriving on Friday night, the storm is forecast to move inland, pushing northwards across England on Saturday morning before arriving in Scotland by midday.

Yellow warnings for rain cover parts of England and Scotland on Sunday and Monday as residual parts of the storm linger.

Last weeks heatwave brought travel disruption, a number of water-related deaths and hosepipe bans being declared for millions living in Yorkshire, Kent and Sussex.

One might think a heavy dose of rainfall would help reduce these drought conditions - but because the rain will be very heavy in localised areas, it will run off the dry, baked earth rapidly, perhaps overwhelming local sewers and waterways.

A substantial recovery in reservoir and groundwater aquifer levels would require a more sustained spell of wet weather.

Yorkshire's hosepipe ban is expected to last until winter.

Thunderstorms following a heatwave in the summer of 2022 brought flash flooding to London and the surrounding areas, flooding roads and Tube stations.

The rainfall also caused cancellations and delays at Gatwick Airport.

Thousands of premature babies in the UK can now be protected against a common winter virus which can cause a dangerous lung infection, and sometimes kill.

The injection will provide them "with a protective bubble" against RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) in time for the colder months, NHS medics said.

Most babies are protected via vaccination late in pregnancy, but babies born before 32 weeks are more vulnerable to life-threatening infections from the virus.

From late September, 9,000 babies and young children at risk across the UK will be offered a dose of the drug nirsevimab through the NHS.

RSV usually causes coughs and colds, but can make some children very ill with breathing problems, pneumonia and a lung infection called bronchiolitis.

According to NHS England, premature babies are three times more likely to go to hospital with RSV and are 10 times more likely to need intensive care compared with full-term babies.

Every year around 30,000 children in the UK aged under five need hospital care because of the virus, and around 30 don't survive.

The drug offers six months' protection in a single dose, and is more than 80% effective.

Neo-natal clinics will deliver the injection to premature babies. Families of vulnerable infants with heart or lung conditions or weakened immune systems will be advised by their medical teams how to get the jab before this winter.

"It will offer a long-lasting defence, helping to avoid unnecessary hospitalisations and serious illness, giving babies the best possible start in life and shielding them from harm," said Dr Claire Fuller, co-national medical director for NHS England.

Last year, a vaccination programme was launched in the UK to protect newborn babies and older people from RSV. Women who are at least 28 weeks' pregnant and people aged 75 to 79 are now offered that vaccine, called abrysvo.

The jab boosts a woman's immune system during pregnancy and protects babies in their first weeks of life.

But babies born prematurely, before 32 weeks, don't have time to build up protection from that vaccine before they're born.

They will be given nirsevimab instead.

Unlike a vaccine, which prompts the body to create antibodies and takes a few weeks to be effective, nirsevimab gives immediate protection from RSV infection.

Ceri Cox, 33, wanted her son, Harry, aged two, to be protected as much as possible against RSV. As a paediatric nurse, she has seen the damage it can do.

"I know quite a bit about the virus from working in a unit where we see a lot of children with RSV every year," she said.

"It's amazing that this immunisation will now be offered to young babies around the country. I hope we will see fewer little ones in our hospital this winter."

Harry took part in an international clinical trial of the immunisation at University Hospital Southampton.

Premature babies and high-risk infants in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will benefit from the drug.

What are the symptoms of RSV?

They usually start within a few days of being infected.

Most people only get cold-like symptoms, such as:

• a runny or blocked nose
• a cough
• sneezing
• tiredness
• a high temperature – signs include your back or chest feeling hotter than usual, sweatiness and shivering (chills)

Babies with RSV may also be irritable and feed less than usual.

If RSV leads to a more serious infection (such as pneumonia or bronchiolitis) it may also cause:

• a cough that gets worse
• shortness of breath
• faster breathing or long gaps between breaths
• difficulty feeding (in babies) or loss of appetite
• noisy breathing (wheezing)
• confusion (in older adults)

Source: NHS UK website

In the early hours of an April morning in 2023 undercover officers watched as a woman loaded boxes into a hire car at a retail park near the port of Harwich in Essex.

They'd received a tip-off about the car which had travelled from Islington that night.

The car was driven on towards Ipswich, where the woman handed over a heavy laundry bag to an unknown man. She did not look like someone you'd expect to be carrying out a drug deal - her defence barrister said she "was undoubtedly singled out as someone who would not catch the eye".

That woman was Deborah Mason, known to family as Gangsta Debbs or Queen Bee: a grandmother and the matriarch of a crime family that operated across south east England.

Mason had recruited her four children, her sister and others close to the family to help supply cocaine around the country - funding a lavish lifestyle which included Gucci designer goods bought for her cat and a £192 Bugatti kettle.

On Friday, the 65-year-old was sentenced to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs at Woolwich Crown Court.

The rest of the gang received sentences of between 10 and 15 years for the same charge.

The Metropolitan Police watched Mason for seven months after that morning in Harwich, as she and her family-run gang completed cocaine and class A drug pick-ups at ports - mainly Harwich - but also Folkstone and Dover.

The pattern was often the same. Tightly-wrapped packages of cocaine would be collected, divided between supermarket bags for life and then delivered to the next person in the chain.

Police watched the gang complete drop-offs in south London, Cardiff, Bristol, Sheffield, Rotherham, Manchester, Bradford, Southend, Leicester and Walsall.

One man arrested by police in Leicester shortly after a handover was found with 10kg (22lbs) of cocaine. Other trips would be to collect their "wages" as they described it.

In total the drugs the gang handled were worth £25m-£30m at wholesale, with a street value of up to £80m, the prosecution said during Friday's sentencing hearing.

The court heard the gang had used aliases to communicate with each other and with their supplier - a man known only as "Bugsy" - on the encrypted messaging app, Signal.

Mason enjoyed a close relationship with "Bugsy" and even went on holiday with him to Dubai and Bahrain in October 2023.

Over a seven-month period, Mason carried out 20 trips transporting at least 356kg cocaine, as well as delivering and collecting cash.

Judge Philip Shorrock said Mason had a "leading role", and described her as "the site foreman working under a project manager".

"As a mother you should have been setting an example to your children, not corrupting them," he said.

The court heard Mason did not buy drugs herself, but was part of the direction of multi-kilo transactions.

Prosecutor Charlotte Hole said: "She also organised those who drove for her – staying in phone contact from the early hours to make sure they were up, and checking in on them during the day."

Lavish lifestyle

Financial gain was the motivation and police said Mason had spent extravagantly -including on designer clothing, bags and accessories.

Among these were a £390 Gucci collar and lead, and a nine-carat gold engraved name tag for Mason's Bengal cat, Ghost.

When she was arrested, footage showed her being handcuffed in her bathroom next to a designer DKNY towel.

At the same time the conspiracy was taking place Mason received £50,000 in benefits, Ms Hole told the court.

Mason "expressed a desire to go to Turkey for cosmetic procedures" and took a "cut of the wages of others", Ms Hole said.

She booked holidays with her sister to Cornwall, Malta, Prague and Poland, and took her daughters to Dubai where they continued to direct operations in the UK via Facetime.

'No ordinary family'

Mason, whose number was saved in one of her children's phones under the name Queen Bee, involved her three daughters, her son, and two of their partners in the conspiracy. They are all now starting lengthy prison sentences behind bars. A friend, Anita Slaughter, 44, has also been jailed.

Mason's son, Reggie Bright, 24, delivered at least 90kg of cocaine over 12 trips, often travelling alongside his partner, Demi Kendall, 31, or his sister Lillie Bright, 27, as well as his mother.

"He used the Signal alias 'Frank' and was clearly known to and in direct contact with the upstream supplier," Ms Hole said, adding the gang were paid about £1,000 per trip by Mason.

She added that Reggie Bright and Demi Kendall were also caught running their own separate drugs line from their caravans in Kent - in breach of a previous suspended sentence order imposed on them for drug-related offences.

The prosecution argued Mason's eldest daughter Demi Bright had a significant role in operations, delivering about 60kg of cocaine, although she was not as active as other family members as she had other sources of income.

Mason's other daughters, Roseanne Mason and Lillie Bright, were also found guilty. Rosanne Mason, 30, took part in seven identified trips - including to Bradford and Manchester. Lillie Bright made 20 identified trips and the court heard she had a "clear expectation of significant financial advantage".

Lillie Bright involved her partner Chloe Hodgkin - who the court heard will be sentenced at a later date once she has given birth.

In mitigation, each defence lawyer argued that all involved were "expendable" compared with the wider drug enterprise, and that most of the children were "couriers" making trips across the UK.

This was "no ordinary family", as specialist prosecutor Robert Hutchinson said. "Instead of nurturing and caring for her relatives, Deborah Mason recruited them to establish an extraordinarily profitable criminal enterprise that would ultimately put them all behind bars."

Ms Hole said there was no suggestion of pressure or coercion for any of them to be part of the conspiracy, and all had been motivated by financial benefit.

They were given the following sentences:

• Reggie Bright, 24, of Staplehurst, Kent, 15 years
• Demi Kendall, 31, of Staplehurst, 13-and-a-half years
• Lillie Bright, 26, of Ashford, Kent, 13 years
• Anita Slaughter, 44, Ashford, 13 years
• Demi Bright, 30, of Ashford, 11 years
• Roseanne Mason, 29, of Canonbury, north London, 11 years
• Tina Golding, 66, Ashford, 10 years
• Chloe Hodgkin, 23, of Wye, Kent, to be sentenced at a later date.

Met Police's Det Con Jack Kraushaar, who led the investigation, described Mason's operation as "sophisticated" and said it was "extremely profitable for those involved".

"The group were sucked into criminality," he said, "selfishly attracted by the financial benefits of the drug-dealing to fund lavish lifestyles."

Winding down the narrow main street of his north Italian town, Giacomo de Luca points to the businesses that have closed: two supermarkets, a barbershop, restaurants – all with shutters drawn and faded signs above their doors.

The pretty town of Fregona at the foot of the mountains is emptying out like many here, as Italians have fewer children and increasingly migrate to bigger places or move abroad.

Now the local primary school is at risk and the mayor is worried.

"The new Year One can't go ahead because there are only four children. They want to shut it down," De Luca explains. The minimum class size to get funding is 10 children.

"The drop in births and in the population has been very, very sharp."

The mayor calculates that the population of Fregona, an hour's drive north of Venice, has shrunk by almost a fifth in the past decade.

By June this year there were just four new births and most of the 2,700 or so remaining residents are elderly, from the men drinking their morning prosecco to the women filling their bags with chicory and tomatoes at the weekly market.

For De Luca, closing the school reception class would be a tide-turner: if the children leave Fregona to study, he fears they will never look back.

So he's been touring the surrounding area, even visiting a nearby pizza factory, trying to persuade parents to send their children to his town and help keep the school open.

"I'm offering to pick them up with a minibus, we've offered for children to stay at school until six in the evening, all paid for by the council," the mayor told the BBC, his sense of urgency obvious.

"I'm worried. Little by little, if things keep going like this, the village will die."

Nationwide problem

Italy's demographic crisis extends far beyond Fregona and it is deepening.

Over the past decade, the population nationwide has contracted by almost 1.9 million and the number of births has fallen for 16 consecutive years.

On average, Italian women are now having just 1.18 babies, the lowest level ever recorded. That's under the EU average fertility rate of 1.38 and far below the 2.1 needed to sustain the population.

Despite its efforts to encourage childbirth, and much talk of family-friendly politics, Giorgia Meloni's right-wing government has been unable to stop the slide.

"You have to think a lot before having a baby," Valentina Dottor admits when we meet on Fregona's main square, her 10-month-old daughter Diletta cooing in a pushchair.

Valentina gets an allowance of around €200 (£175) a month for Diletta's first year, but just missed out on the government's new Baby Bonus of €1,000 for children born in 2025.

There are new tax breaks, too, and longer parental leave.

But Valentina now needs to return to work and says accessing affordable childcare is still very tough.

"There are not many babies, but not many kindergarten [places] either," she says. "I am lucky to have my grandmother take care of my daughter. If not, I don't know where I would leave her."

That's why her friends are wary of motherhood.

"It's difficult - because of work, schools, the money," Valentina says. "There is some help, but it's not enough to have babies.

"It won't solve the problem."

Self-help schemes

Some companies in the Veneto region have taken matters into their own hands.

A short drive down into the valley from Fregona is a big industrial estate filled with small and medium-sized firms, many run by families.

Irinox, a blast chiller manufacturer, spotted the parenting problem long ago and decided to act rather than lose valuable workers.

The firm joined forces with seven others to create a creche a short walk from the factory floor – not free, but heavily discounted and convenient. It was the first of its kind in Italy.

"Knowing I had the chance to put my son two minutes from here was very important, because I can reach him any time, very fast," one of the firm's finance bosses, Melania Sandrin, explains.

Without the creche she would have struggled to return to work: she didn't want to lean on her own parents, and state kindergartens won't generally take children for a full day.

"There's also a priority list… and there are few, few places," Melania says.

Like Valentina, she and her friends delayed having children into their late 30s, keen to establish their careers, and Melania isn't sure she'd have a second baby, even now. "It's not easy," she says.

Later childbirth, a growing trend here, is another factor in lowering fertility.

All of that is why CEO Katia da Ros thinks Italy needs to make "massive changes" to address its population problem.

"It's not the €1,000 payments that make a difference, but having services like free kindergartens. If we want to change the situation we need strong action," she says.

The other solution is increased immigration, which is far more contentious for Meloni's government.

More than 40% of the workers at Irinox are already from abroad.

A map on the factory wall dotted with pins shows they come from Mongolia to Burkina Faso. Barring an unlikely sudden surge in childbirth, Katia da Ros argues Italy – like Veneto – will need more foreign workers to drive its economy.

"The future will be like that."

End of a school era

Even immigration couldn't save a school in nearby Treviso.

Last month, Pascoli Primary shut its doors for good because there weren't enough pupils to sustain it.

Just 27 children gathered on the school steps for a final ceremony marked by an Alpine bugler with a feather in his hat, who sounded the Last Post as the Italian flag was lowered.

"It's a sad day," Eleanora Franceschi said, collecting her 8-year-old daughter for one last time. From September, she'll have to travel much further to a different school.

Eleanora doesn't believe the falling birthrate alone is to blame: she says Pascoli school didn't teach in the afternoons, making life harder for working parents who then moved their children elsewhere.

The headteacher has another explanation.

"This area has been transformed because many people from abroad came here," Luana Scarfi told the BBC, referring to two decades of migration to the Veneto region with multiple factories and plenty of jobs.

"Some [families] then decided to go to other schools where the immigration index was less high."

"Over the years, we had lower and lower people who decided to come to this school," the headmistress says, in English, hinting at tensions.

A UN prediction suggests Italy's population will drop by about five million in the next 25 years, from 59 million. It's ageing, too, increasing the strain on the economy.

Government measures to tackle that have so far only scratched the surface.

But Eleanora argues parents like her need a lot more help with services, not just cash handouts, for a start.

"We get monthly cheques but we need practical support, too, like free summer camps for the children," she says, pointing to the three-month school holiday from June that can be a nightmare for parents who work.

"The government wants a bigger population but at the same time, they're not helping," Eleanora says.

"How can we have more babies in this situation?"

Produced by Davide Ghiglione.

Dog attack survivors have described the devastating physical and mental impact of their injuries, as new data shows thousands have sought medical treatment for dog attacks over the past five years.

William Newbury, 22, who was attacked by three dogs in April and suffered severe injuries across his body, said the ordeal had left him unable to cope.

"I'm unable to work and as a result I'm down more than £8,000. I'm also struggling with being at home all the time," said Mr Newbury, who lost the use of two fingers in the attack.

Police forces across England and Wales have seen an increase in the number of dog attacks on people during the past five years.

Warning: Article contains graphic images of dog bites

Mr Newbury, from Cardiff, was visiting a friend and her baby when they were attacked by three dogs and he stepped in to protect them.

"The support coming out of hospital was phenomenal, but now I'm not coping," said Mr Newbury, who has been unable to return to his job in security since the attack.

"It's affected my confidence, when I'm out I get funny looks because I have scars on my arms, and it makes me want to wear a jumper so no-one can see it," he added.

Mr Newbury said while colleagues, friends and family had been supportive, people generally "don't understand the aftermath".

He said he was paying for weekly counselling sessions due to NHS waiting lists.

The Welsh government said it was making progress to reducing waiting times for mental health services in the face of increasing demand for support.

Mr Newbury said his experience meant he looked for what he described as "safe spaces" when he leaves his home.

"I still love dogs but naturally I'm wary of them. I love dogs from a distance, shall we say."

He added: "The other day I went for a walk through St David's shopping centre, and parked there because I know dogs aren't in there unless it's for a medical reason like a guide dog."

He said he had been overwhelmed by kind gestures and comments which he was incredibly grateful for.

A garage in Cardiff replaced his car key - which was damaged in the attack - for free, while another company sent him a free watch.

"They said they knew how tough it was for me to be stuck inside, so that it's something to look at to cheer me up."

He said his girlfriend Jamie-lee, who witnessed the attack through the window, had helped him with everything since leaving hospital.

"I don't know where I'd be without her," he added.

BBC Wales requested information from health boards in Wales which showed 2,910 people sought medical treatment for a dog bite or attack over the last five years.

The latest data for England showed there were more than 43,000 reports of dog attacks made by health boards and trusts from 2020 to November 2024.

Police forces across England and Wales have also seen an increase in the number of dog attacks on people during the past five years.

There were 32,568 recorded offences in 2024 - a 4% increase on 2023's total of 31,398, according to Freedom of Information figures obtained by the BBC from every police force in England and Wales.

The actual attack figures are likely to be higher as the data only counts incidents that were reported to police.

'Dogs can pose a serious risk'

Prof Vivien Lees, vice-president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said the severity of injuries caused by dog attacks could vary greatly.

"In the most severe cases patients may require reconstructive surgery and long-term rehabilitation to regain mobility and quality of life," said Prof Lees.

"There is an ongoing need for awareness and vigilance. Dogs can pose a serious risk, particularly when they are poorly trained, neglected, or mistreated."

Erin Evans, 22, from Gwynedd, was bitten by a dog on her face four years ago while out with friends.

"It's a bit of a blank, I just remember there was loads of blood and then I collapsed," said Ms Evans.

It left her needing four years of surgery to reconstruct her top lip.

"When it started to sink in what had happened, I started feeling really low. Looking back I should have asked for help," Ms Evans said.

The attack led to Ms Evans dropping out of her nursing degree and losing confidence.

"I used to be bubbly and happy all the time, but I really struggled and couldn't carry on. I was constantly back and forth to the hospital and found it hard to talk about."

She said she still experienced flashbacks and was wary of dogs, despite having three herself and being an animal lover.

"After what I've been through I'm cautious, but I still love all breeds of dogs."

Once she had the all clear from the NHS that her reconstructive procedures had healed, Ms Evans had a cosmetic tattoo on her lip.

"Before I'd try to hide my lip, but I'm not like that anymore, I even get lots of compliments now," she said.

Imogen Hughes, a permanent make up artist based in Conwy who carried out the cosmetic work on Ms Evans' lips, said she focused on making them appear "more symmetrical".

A before and after social media post online by Ms Hughes of the work has had more than a million views, thousands of likes and hundreds of positive comments.

"I had so many messages that week from girls who had similar experiences, including as far as the US," said Ms Hughes.

However, she warned that this sort of tattooing could be complex.

"The last thing you want to do is add any more trauma to the area, so seek reviews and healed results from companies you're interested in," she added.

Ms Evans has since graduated from a degree in childhood and youth studies, and said she felt much more positive about the future.

"I wish someone had been there to tell me it would get better, and now I want to do that for other people," she said.

If you have been affected by the issues raised in this story you can visit the BBC Action Line for details of organisations who can offer support.

Sylvanian Families has become embroiled in a legal battle with a TikTok creator who makes comedic videos of the children's toys in dark and debauched storylines.

The fluffy creatures, launched in 1985, have become a childhood classic. But the Sylvanian Drama TikTok account sees them acting out adult sketches involving drink, drugs, cheating, violence and even murder.

The Japanese maker of the toys, Epoch Company Ltd, filed a copyright infringement case in the US saying the videos are causing "irreparable injury" to its reputation.

The owner of the TikTok account, Thea Von Engelbrechten, from Ireland, filed a counternotice claiming her works were "parody".

The skits are such a hit that the account has 2.5 million followers and the videos have racked up 68 million likes. Sylvanian Drama also has accounts on Instagram, YouTube, X and Facebook.

It has partnered with major brands including Marc Jacobs, Burberry, Netflix and Hilton for advertising posts.

Sylvanian Families are marketed as "an adorable range of distinctive animal characters with charming and beautiful homes, furniture and accessories".

They live in stylish houses surrounded by luscious greenery, woodland, a meadow and a river.

Characters have names like Freya the Chocolate Rabbit girl, Ambrose the Walnut Squirrel baby and Pino the Latte Cat baby.

They usually have wholesome adventures with stories entitled Picnic by the sea, Surprise shopping trip and Ice cream for everyone.

'Insecure people, diet culture, toxic men'

But the SylvanianDrama TikTok account sees the creatures in costumes and fake eyelashes, with captions saying things like "My marriage is falling apart" and "My boyfriend won't post me on Instagram".

Court documents filed by Epoch with the Southern District of New York on 4 July and seen by the BBC accuse Ms Von Engelbrechten of infringing the company's copyright without its permission, causing irreparable injury to its goodwill and reputation.

The court document states that in an interview with influencer marketing company Fohr, Ms Von Engelbrechten said her inspiration for the storylines came from "cringey TV shows and early 2000s comedy".

She went on: "I'm also really inspired by my cats because they are extremely sassy and self-obsessed and can be so cute, but they also have no morals when it comes to killing other animals. I try to embody that with the Sylvanians."

Asked why she thought her videos were so popular she told Fohr: "Maybe it's because it's coming from the voice of a 22-year-old who struggles with the same things as [they do]. I have a lot of storylines about insecure people, diet culture, toxic men, and sustainability, which I think other girls my age are also thinking a lot about."

A date has been set for 14 August for a pre-trial conference. This is when legal teams from both sides meet to explore settlement options or prepare the case for trial.

Epoch Company Ltd and Ms Von Engelbrechten did not respond to the BBC's requests for comment.

Thousands of Afghans whose personal details were leaked but who were not evacuated to Britain are not expected to receive any compensation.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) will "robustly defend against any legal action or compensation", a spokesperson told the BBC, adding that these were "hypothetical claims".

The MoD will also not proactively give small payouts to people whose lives were put in danger after the February 2022 leak, the Times reported.

The names and details of more than 19,000 people were leaked, with many Afghans now saying they fear retribution from the Taliban.

The spokesperson added that an independent review, known as the Rimmer review, commissioned by the Defence Secretary John Healey found: "It is highly unlikely that merely being on the spreadsheet would be grounds for an individual to be targeted."

This week, Healey announced the lifting of a super-injunction that made it illegal to both publicise the leak and refer to the existence of the court order.

That came after the completion of the Rimmer review, which concluded: "There is little evidence of intent by the Taliban to conduct a campaign of retribution against former officials."

The largest lawsuit is being prepared by Barings Law, a firm that has more than 1,000 Afghan clients, according to The Times.

It is unclear how many of those clients are currently in Afghanistan.

The leak occurred when an unnamed official emailed the spreadsheet outside of the government team processing Afghan relocation applications and it made its way into the public domain.

Knowledge of the leak only emerged in August 2023, when the names of nine people who had applied to move to the UK appeared on Facebook.

The Taliban leadership continues to face international isolation due to its human rights abuses, especially those targeting women. Russia is the only country that recognises the current Afghan government, and the British embassy to Kabul has remained close since the Taliban takeover in 2021.

An Afghan man who had been turned down for relocation was responsible for sharing the names on Facebook, and was offered an expedited review of his application in return for taking it down, the BBC reported last week.

More than 100 British officials, including members of the special forces and MI6, were compromised in the same data breach.

Since the withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan, more than 36,000 Afghans have moved to the UK. Of those, more than 16,000 individuals were deemed to have been at risk from the leak, the MoD confirmed to the BBC.

The government has so far spent £400m on the scheme to relocate Afghans.

But the total cost of relocating all Afghans is expected to rise to around £5.5-£6bn, according to the government.

President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal's parent company, its owner and two reporters, over a report claiming Trump wrote a "bawdy" personal note to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein in 2003.

The lawsuit, filed in Miami, names Dow Jones, News Corp and conservative media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, claiming the paper slandered him and violated libel laws.

Earlier, Trump had threatened that he would force Murdoch "to testify in my lawsuit against him and his 'pile of garbage' newspaper".

Trump says the note, which the paper reported he'd sent for Epstein's 50th birthday, is "fake". It comes amid a backlash from his supporters over his handling of the Epstein case files.

Trump acknowledged that he and members of his staff attempted to halt publication of the story. He said the newspaper and Murdoch "were warned directly" they would be sued if they printed the article, describing it as "false, malicious, and defamatory".

The lawsuit also names the two reporters who wrote the story, Khadeeja Safdar and Joseph Palazzolo.

Earlier on Friday, Trump took to his Truth Social platform, writing: "I look forward to getting Rupert Murdoch to testify in my lawsuit against him and his 'pile of garbage' newspaper, the WSJ. That will be an interesting experience!!!"

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), a letter bearing Trump's name "contained several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker".

"Inside the outline of the naked woman was a typewritten note styled as an imaginary conversation between Trump and Epstein, written in the third person," the paper reports.

It reportedly contains a joking reference that "Enigmas never age" and allegedly ends with the words: "A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret."

Trump denied writing the note after the article was published on Thursday, posting: "These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures."

On Friday, Trump declined to answer reporters' questions about his relationship with Epstein, and why he had not ordered the release of more documents.

Instead, he asked the Attorney General to produce documents related to secretive grand jury testimony, which could prove to be a lengthy court process. It's unclear when or if those documents will be released, or if they contain the details Trump's supporters have been demanding be released publicly.

Trump's order concerning grand jury testimony came after days of sustained pressure from some of his most loyal supporters demanding further disclosures in the Epstein case.

Some Trump loyalists have called for Attorney General Pam Bondi to resign after she reversed course on releasing certain documents related to Epstein.

In February, Bondi said that a "client list" belonging to Epstein was "sitting on my desk right now". Then last week, her office announced that there is no such "client list".

Chad Bianco, a Republican sheriff running for California governor, told BBC News that Trump's handling of the Epstein files was "not what I was expecting" and that "millions" of his followers are disappointed.

"We feel like we're being talked down to like stupid children."

Trump and Murdoch have a relationship that goes back decades.

The 94-year-old media tycoon's media empire, which includes Fox News, is often credited with helping propel Trump to the White House.

But the two grew more distant over the years and their relationship started to collapse following Trump's loss at the ballot box in 2020 to Joe Biden.

"We want to make Trump a non-person," Murdoch wrote in an email that emerged during court battles over Fox's role spreading misinformation in the 2020 election.

Trump's more recent victory in 2024 appeared to bring the two together again. During a February visit to the White House, Trump referred to Murdoch as "a class by himself" and "an amazing guy".

On Sunday, the two men were pictured together attending the Fifa World Cup in New Jersey.

Attorney General Bondi was also seen watching the match from the president's private box.

Meanwhile, members of Congress are pushing to pass a "discharge petition" that would force Bondi to "make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in the possession of the Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Attorneys' Offices" relating to Epstein.

The effort has brought together some of Congress's fiercest opponents, including Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene and Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who are both signed on as supporters.

The Syrian presidency says it will deploy a new force to halt the deadly sectarian clashes between Bedouin and Druze fighters in the south of the country.

Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa's office urged "all parties to exercise restraint", amid reports of renewed fighting near the city of Suweida on Friday.

Almost 600 people are reported to have been killed since the violence erupted on Sunday. Government troops deployed to the area were accused by residents of killing Druze civilians and carrying out extrajudicial executions.

Israel later struck targets in Syria to force the troops to withdraw from Suweida province. On Friday, the US ambassador to Turkey said that Israel and Syria had agreed a ceasefire.

In a post on X, ambassador Tom Barrack said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Sharaa "have agreed to a ceasefire" embraced by Syria's neighbours Turkey and Jordan.

"We call upon Druze, Bedouins, and Sunnis to put down their weapons and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity in peace and prosperity with its neighbours," the envoy said.

Israel and Syria have not publicly commented on the reported ceasefire agreement.

Shortly before Sharaa's office announced its planned military deployment to the south, an Israeli official said Israel had agreed to allow the limited entry of Syrian Internal Security Forces personnel into Suweida for 48 hours to protect Druze civilians "in light of the ongoing instability".

Suweida's predominantly Druze community follows a secretive, unique faith derived from Shia Islam, and distrusts the current jihadist-led government in Damascus.

The BBC correspondent in the Syrian capital says that sectarian hatred of the Druze is now spreading across the country.

The Druze are a minority in Syria, as well as in neighbouring Lebanon and Israel.

Earlier this week, the UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, said his office had received credible reports indicating widespread violations and abuses, including summary executions and arbitrary killings in Suweida.

Among the alleged perpetrators were members of the security forces and individuals affiliated with the interim government, as well as local Druze and Bedouin armed elements, Türk said in a statement.

"This bloodshed and the violence must stop," he warned, adding that "those responsible must be held to account".

The BBC has contacted the Syrian government and security forces about allegations of summary killings and other violations.

In a televised address early on Thursday, Sharaa vowed to hold the perpetrators accountable and promised to make protecting the Druze a "priority".

"We are eager to hold accountable those who transgressed and abused our Druze people because they are under the protection and responsibility of the state," he said.

He went on to blame "outlaw groups", saying their leaders "rejected dialogue for many months".

Hundreds of people have taken part in protests near a hotel used to house asylum seekers in a town.

Protesters from far-right and pro-refugee groups gathered in Epping, Essex, on Thursday.

BBC Essex political reporter Simon Dedman, who was at the scene, estimated there were about 40 pro-refugee protesters and about 400 members of far-right groups.

Essex Police said a man had been arrested on suspicion of affray at the protest.

"Our officers have been at a planned protest in Epping throughout the afternoon today, and are now aware of some protestors using fireworks and eggs in the crowds," said a police spokesperson.

"We have closed a section of High Road, Epping, for the safety of the public and those protesting."

The spokesperson added: "One man has already been arrested at today's protest on suspicion of affray."

Chris Whitbread, the Conservative leader of Epping Forest District Council, had called for an end to a hotel in the area being used to house asylum seekers.

He was joined by two local Conservative MPs - Epping Forest's Neil Hudson and Alex Burghart, who represents Brentwood and Ongar. They claimed the Home Office did not understand the "seriousness of this situation".

It followed the arrest of an asylum seeker on suspicion of alleged sexual assaults in the town.

Weyman Bennett, a member of Stand Up To Racism who attended the rally, said: "Britain is a peaceful country in which people should be allowed to go about their business without being attacked."

Millie Smith, who lives in Epping and attended the rally, said: "There has been a lot of misinterpretation of who is here and why they are here."

Ch Supt Simon Anslow said: "Disruption and offending is never an appropriate response, no matter the strength of feeling in this case, and on this issue."

The Home Office said it has "begun to restore order [to the asylum system], with a rapid increase in asylum decision-making and the removal of more than 24,000 people with no right to be in the UK".

Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

A US tech company announced that it has launched an investigation after a big screen embrace at a Coldplay concert - rumoured to involve two of its employees, including its CEO - went viral.

In the clip, which initially appeared on a giant screen at the Boston concert, two people are seen with their arms wrapped around each other.

When their faces appear for thousands to see, the man and woman abruptly duck and hide from the camera.

Reports that both are executives at the company Astronomer and rumours of an affair sparked by the band leader's comment, then spread online, but the information remains unverified by the company.

The video of the pair swaying to music, then quickly trying to hide exploded on the internet after the concert on Wednesday night.

Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay, after seeing the pair hide, said to the crowd: "Either they're having an affair, or they're just very shy."

The initial video posted to TikTok received millions of views. It was then shared across platforms, turned into memes and made fun of on television programs.

Two days after the internet became inundated with chatter about the embrace, Astronomer put out its own statement announcing an investigation into the matter, without specifying the video.

"Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding," the statement read. "Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability. The Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly."

The man in the video is rumoured in multiple reports to be Astronomer CEO Andy Byron, who has been with the company since July 2023. Mr Byron himself has not confirmed his identity in the video. The woman was identified online as Kristin Cabot, the company's chief people officer, who has been with Astronomer since November 2024.

She has not confirmed her identity either. The BBC has been unable to confirm the identities of the people in the video.

The Astronomer statement added that Mr Byron had not released a personal statement, and that reports otherwise were incorrect. It also said no other employees were in the video.

Fake statements from Mr Byron went viral on Thursday.

President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal's parent company, its owner and two reporters, over a report claiming Trump wrote a "bawdy" personal note to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein in 2003.

The lawsuit, filed in Miami, names Dow Jones, News Corp and conservative media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, claiming the paper slandered him and violated libel laws.

Earlier, Trump had threatened that he would force Murdoch "to testify in my lawsuit against him and his 'pile of garbage' newspaper".

Trump says the note, which the paper reported he'd sent for Epstein's 50th birthday, is "fake". It comes amid a backlash from his supporters over his handling of the Epstein case files.

Trump acknowledged that he and members of his staff attempted to halt publication of the story. He said the newspaper and Murdoch "were warned directly" they would be sued if they printed the article, describing it as "false, malicious, and defamatory".

The lawsuit also names the two reporters who wrote the story, Khadeeja Safdar and Joseph Palazzolo.

Earlier on Friday, Trump took to his Truth Social platform, writing: "I look forward to getting Rupert Murdoch to testify in my lawsuit against him and his 'pile of garbage' newspaper, the WSJ. That will be an interesting experience!!!"

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), a letter bearing Trump's name "contained several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker".

"Inside the outline of the naked woman was a typewritten note styled as an imaginary conversation between Trump and Epstein, written in the third person," the paper reports.

It reportedly contains a joking reference that "Enigmas never age" and allegedly ends with the words: "A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret."

Trump denied writing the note after the article was published on Thursday, posting: "These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures."

On Friday, Trump declined to answer reporters' questions about his relationship with Epstein, and why he had not ordered the release of more documents.

Instead, he asked the Attorney General to produce documents related to secretive grand jury testimony, which could prove to be a lengthy court process. It's unclear when or if those documents will be released, or if they contain the details Trump's supporters have been demanding be released publicly.

Trump's order concerning grand jury testimony came after days of sustained pressure from some of his most loyal supporters demanding further disclosures in the Epstein case.

Some Trump loyalists have called for Attorney General Pam Bondi to resign after she reversed course on releasing certain documents related to Epstein.

In February, Bondi said that a "client list" belonging to Epstein was "sitting on my desk right now". Then last week, her office announced that there is no such "client list".

Chad Bianco, a Republican sheriff running for California governor, told BBC News that Trump's handling of the Epstein files was "not what I was expecting" and that "millions" of his followers are disappointed.

"We feel like we're being talked down to like stupid children."

Trump and Murdoch have a relationship that goes back decades.

The 94-year-old media tycoon's media empire, which includes Fox News, is often credited with helping propel Trump to the White House.

But the two grew more distant over the years and their relationship started to collapse following Trump's loss at the ballot box in 2020 to Joe Biden.

"We want to make Trump a non-person," Murdoch wrote in an email that emerged during court battles over Fox's role spreading misinformation in the 2020 election.

Trump's more recent victory in 2024 appeared to bring the two together again. During a February visit to the White House, Trump referred to Murdoch as "a class by himself" and "an amazing guy".

On Sunday, the two men were pictured together attending the Fifa World Cup in New Jersey.

Attorney General Bondi was also seen watching the match from the president's private box.

Meanwhile, members of Congress are pushing to pass a "discharge petition" that would force Bondi to "make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in the possession of the Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Attorneys' Offices" relating to Epstein.

The effort has brought together some of Congress's fiercest opponents, including Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene and Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who are both signed on as supporters.

When Jack Posobiec walked into the Department of Justice in Washington, DC last February, he thought he would finally get some answers about Jeffrey Epstein.

But when he and other MAGA supporters were given essentially just rehashed, already-public material - and when the government put a damper on the release of any new information this July - they balked.

"We were all told more was coming. That answers were out there and would be provided. Incredible how utterly mismanaged this Epstein mess has been. And it didn't have to be," Posobiec posted on social media on 7 July.

Now, Donald Trump is finding it hard to shake loose the conspiracy theories that have animated his base since he first broke through into Republican politics a decade ago.

Posobiec, who emerged from the fringes of the internet in 2016 when he spread false rumours about a child abuse ring based in a Washington DC restaurant - a conspiracy theory that became known as Pizzagate - is just one of many MAGA die-hards who believes officials are hiding key truths about Epstein's life and death.

The disgraced financier and convicted sex offender died by suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019 while he was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

On a recent podcast hosted by Breitbart News editor Alex Marlow, Posobiec said the MAGA base see this case as shorthand for the thorough rot of the so-called "deep state".

"It's not that they care about Epstein personally," he said. "It's that they care that there's this optic that Epstein was somehow involved with a shadowy system that actually has control over our government, control over our institutions, control of our lives, and really is a ruling power over us."

Over the years, some have claimed that government officials possess files on Epstein that reveal sordid details, including that a "client lint" exists with notable names on it who may have participated in some Epstein's alleged crimes.

Trump has, in the past, played to that crowd. During last year's election campaign, he said he would have "no problem" releasing Epstein case files, and after the election directly answered a question about whether he would "declassify" the files by saying: "Yeah, yeah, I would."

Conspiratorial thinking has been a part of President Trump's movement from the outset. His entry into the once-crowded world of Republican Party politics a decade ago came as he amplified the false theory that Barack Obama wasn't born in the United States.

Now, however, the world of conspiracy is biting back.

Epstein's crimes are real and horrific, and there remains the possibility that further information could emerge about them.

But they have also become subsumed by grander narratives – Pizzagate, and later QAnon, the sprawling interactive conspiracy theory that swamped the internet during Trump's first term, pushing the idea that the highest echelons of society were controlled by a child-abusing elite cabal. The conspiracy theory spread through cryptic messages posted by a pseudonymous character called Q.

Mike Rothschild, author of several books on Trump-era conspiracies, including The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult and Conspiracy of Everything, said Epstein was mentioned in several such messages dating back to late 2017.

"Epstein is seen as one of the major players in a global 'paedo elite' that's been trafficking children for centuries, and that Q and Trump were supposed to put an end to once and for all," he told the BBC.

But after the justice department meeting in February, administration officials, including FBI director Kash Patel and his deputy Dan Bongino - who both stoked Epstein rumours for years - started to dampen talk of any major revelations.

Then, on 8 July, the Department of Justice and FBI said in a memo that Epstein's cause of death was suicide and there was no evidence he had a "client list".

The president seemed eager to move on, calling the Epstein case "sordid, but it's boring" while also blaming Democrats for continuing to make it an issue.

Many Trump supporters are happy to follow the president's lead. But a subset of extremely online MAGA supporters are still deeply passionate about the Epstein case.

• Trump orders officials to release Epstein court documents
• Prosecutor in Diddy and Epstein cases fired by justice department
• Trump's Epstein strategy could pit him against loyal supporters

Several MAGA voices, including former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, have alleged that Epstein was employed by the Israeli security services. And among more extreme elements of the movement, the conspiracy theories around Epstein sometimes veer into the antisemitic.

But Rothschild said most of the people in MAGA world are simply itching for more information – if it indeed exists – about the financier's connections with Bill Clinton and other Democrats and Trump opponents. Epstein cultivated powerful people from both major US political parties.

The long history of MAGA's Epstein obsession mean Trump is now finding it difficult to satisfy the conspiratorial elements in his base.

The story took another twist late on Thursday as The Wall Street Journal reported Trump had sent Epstein a "bawdy" birthday greeting in 2003. The pair's one-time friendship is well-known, but Trump says he cut ties with Epstein long ago and filed a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal's parent company, its owner and two reporters following the report.

Meanwhile, Trump seemed more willing to indulge the conspiracy theorists, posting on Truth Social: "Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval."

There is no doubt that conspiracy theories clearly have the power to motivate some of the president's base. QAnon supporters were among some of the most visible participants at the January 2021 riot at the US Capitol.

In a survey conducted just before last November's election, the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) think tank found that nearly a fifth of Americans agree with QAnon-linked statements, including most pointedly: "The government, media, and financial worlds in the US are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping paedophiles who run a global child sex trafficking operation."

Many see the Epstein case as a confirmation of those views, and the QAnon-believing population is heavily pro-Trump, the PRRI found, with 80% backing the president.

And with that support has come influence. Posobiec, the Pizzagate and Epstein conspiracy theorist who was at the DOJ meeting in February, reportedly accompanied Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on a recent trip to Europe.

He also has been photographed meeting with neo-Nazi's, although he denies being a white nationalist himself.

He did not respond to the BBC's request for comment.

He is adamant that Epstein's case is connected to the wider conspiracy world.

"It ties to Covid, it ties to lockdowns, it ties to vaccines," Posobiec said, on the Alex Marlow podcast, which was recorded at a conference last week where multiple speakers brought up Epstein and demanded further revelations.

"It ties to so many different buckets of the anger people are feeling."

Rich Logis, a former longtime Trump supporter who broke ranks and started an organisation called Leaving MAGA, said that these outlandish theories serve "as ties that bind many within the MAGA community", even amongst those who doubt them.

Logis says Trump's dismissal this week of their concerns this left some supporters "feeling confused and stunned".

"They expected Trump to keep his promise and reveal those who allegedly aided and abetted Epstein," he said.

If the Epstein case presents a political quagmire for Trump, there is also a problem for his supporters, particularly the vocal influencer class, in figuring out where to funnel their rage. Targeting the president could backfire when it comes to their own followers.

"Many of the major influencers are furious," Rothschild said, "and while they might not take it out on Trump, they might take it out on the GOP (Republican Party) in general."

Trump has so far stood by Pam Bondi, his attorney general. But she, Patel and Bongino may increasingly feel the pressure if MAGA's conspiracy wing continues to demand more files - whether or not they actually exist.

"Everyone is reeling."

With his voice cracking, one MasterChef worker describes the drama of the past fortnight, which has seen both its presenters sacked in quick succession - first Gregg Wallace, and then John Torode.

"I'm in shock with it all. It's raw, and fresh," adds the member of production staff - who wants to remain anonymous.

After months of near silence, recent events have moved at speed.

BBC News has been speaking to people who have worked on the show, as well as insiders to the tense backroom discussions of recent weeks, and can reveal:

• Torode had nine complaints against him, including racist language, abusive language to junior production staff and sexual language

• Only one was upheld, for an incident on the set of MasterChef in 2018 when he used a severely offensive racist term

• Insiders reveal how a "defensive" production team tried to ride out the storm against Wallace to save his career

• The relationship between Wallace and Torode broke down and insiders say Wallace was briefing against Torode

• Tension between how production company Banijay and the BBC interpreted the findings

• The BBC intends to air the new series of MasterChef despite both presenters being sacked

There was a long wait for the report into Wallace's conduct. The full version has not been made public, but an executive summary was published on Monday.

It revealed more than 40 claims against Wallace had been upheld, including one of unwelcome physical contact.

Later that night, Torode revealed an allegation that he had used "an extremely offensive racist term" had also been upheld.

He insisted he had "no recollection" of any of it, but by 5pm on Tuesday, he was gone.

Those at the top will claim action was taken swiftly and decisively. But behind the scenes, we can reveal there have been lengthy, pained discussions and extended tussles between the BBC and the show's production company Banijay over what to do, specifically about Torode.

It was hoped the report's publication would put an end to the crisis - but the events of this week have left both the BBC and Banijay facing even more questions.

MasterChef team wanted to save Wallace

For me, this all started a year ago, when I got a tip-off about a BBC presenter said to have been behaving badly - Gregg Wallace.

When I mentioned his name to people in the industry, I was told it was "the biggest open secret in TV".

After some digging and winning the trust of the people coming forward - mainly young female freelancers - BBC News revealed the allegations in November.

I've been told by insiders that when the story broke, there was a sense that the MasterChef production team were defensive and wanted to ride out the storm.

Many who had worked with Wallace for years felt that responding would make it worse, hoping BBC News was just stirring up trouble and the story would go away.

There was a view that Wallace's career could be saved, and his worst behaviour was in the past. Others in the production team were in disbelief.

A significant section of the report focuses on how few formal complaints were made, I have been told. This tallies with what freelancers said - they were worried about the repercussions of speaking up.

But the BBC corporate team, which has weathered many crises recently, could see what was brewing. They started to "get heavy" and demand action, and Banijay's leadership also realised they needed to get a grip.

Wallace was suspended and a law firm, Lewis Silkin, was hired to investigate. Attention then turned to the shows already in production. Could they carry on being filmed?

There is a lesson here for the BBC, a source said. A long-running show with a close-knit team is both a strength and weakness.

"They know how to produce TV gold, year in and year out. But on the flip side, bad behaviour gets normalised and no one challenges it," they said.

In response, a Banijay spokesperson said that 94% of allegations upheld by the inquiry related to behaviour before 2018. They added that Banijay acquired Endemol Shine, which makes MasterChef, in 2020, and ways of reporting concerns "have improved exponentially in recent years".

While Lewis Silkin carried out its inquiry, dozens more people approached BBC News with fresh claims about Wallace. BBC News is editorially independent from the wider corporation when it covers stories about the BBC.

One of those who came forward was a former MasterChef worker we are calling Alice, who says Wallace took his trousers down in front of her in a dressing room.

She contributed to the inquiry and says spending two hours with the lawyer, answering difficult questions, made things even harder.

There was "no follow-up, no duty of care" from Banijay, she added. It is understood the production company disputes this.

Last week, she and others who gave evidence received an email from Lewis Silkin, which BBC News has seen, telling them the inquiry was complete.

The email also said it would not be providing individual feedback on specific allegations.

Alice said it was "deeply unsatisfactory" that she didn't find out whether her complaint had been upheld.

"I feel it's more than within our right to understand more about the investigation than what's shared in the news," she said.

Torode faced complaints about behaviour on set

The report into Wallace's conduct - which has taken eight months to compile - was widely expected back two Thursdays ago, but that day came and went.

Behind the scenes, frantic negotiations were under way.

We understand the BBC saw the findings and started asking questions, specifically on the other unnamed individuals referenced in it.

One of those was Torode. As we now know, an allegation he had used a severely offensive racist slur had been upheld.

It has been reported that Torode used the N-word at a season filming wrap party in 2019 while singing along to Gold Digger by Kayne West.

It is believed a debate started after he used the word among those present. However, the claim which was upheld against him relates to the previous year when he allegedly used the same word on set following the end of filming, and it was directed at a member of staff.

• John Torode sacked as Masterchef presenter
• Gregg Wallace sacked as 50 more people make claims
• Wallace 'sorry' after 45 claims against him upheld

Only one claim was upheld against him. But BBC News understands that of the 10 additional complaints against other individuals mentioned in the report, nine were about Torode, including other allegations of racist language, abusive language towards junior production staff and sexual language which were unsubstantiated because of a lack of evidence or witnesses. We have not spoken to the people making those allegations.

Torode has said any racist language is "wholly unacceptable". And Banijay, it appears, was not initially planning to sack Torode.

But the BBC's director general Tim Davie has insisted it is drawing "a line in the sand".

Torode had been "caught up in the new 'first strike and you're out' policy by the powers-that-be at the BBC," Max Goldbart, international TV editor at Deadline, said. "I wouldn't say Torode was collateral damage, I'd say that's offensive to the people who came forward," he said.

But he added it was likely the BBC wanted to "reset" after the scandal.

We put these latest developments to the BBC, but it did not comment.

Earlier this week, a BBC spokesperson described the allegation as "an extremely offensive racist term," adding: "We will not tolerate racist language of any kind."

Meanwhile, the role of a senior executive on MasterChef is also under the spotlight. It is thought they are the other person who had a complaint upheld against them for swearing.

BBC News has contacted that executive but has not heard back.

A Banijay spokesperson said that in relation to the swearing allegation, "we are handling appropriately internally".

Wallace and Torode were 'never friends'

The relationship between Wallace and Torode, meanwhile, is believed to have broken down.

It's notable that over the past year, Torode never backed Wallace. In an Instagram post in December, he appeared to be trying to position himself as separate from his co-host, describing the allegations against Wallace as "truly upsetting".

And in his now-deleted Instagram post last week, where he leaked some findings from the report, Wallace seemed to hint at more to come for his co-host.

"What really concerns me about the short summary is others who have been found guilty of serious allegations have been erased from the published version of events. I, and I'm sure the public, would like to know why?"

Insiders have told me that Wallace was briefing against his former co-presenter.

And they were "never friends," a former MasterChef worker told me.

"Clearly they had a good chemistry when the cameras were rolling. But you rarely saw them interact when the cameras were off," he said.

He says he heard Wallace make crude comments, such as a describing that a dish "tasted like his aunt's vagina".

"And when Gregg was saying inappropriate things like that, John held his counsel. I never saw him step in."

Another former MasterChef worker says the dynamic between the two presenters "seemed off", although she could never pinpoint why.

She also says Torode didn't ever call out his co-host when Wallace made inappropriate jokes. "John would eye roll but not say anything," she said.

Neither Wallace nor Torode responded to requests for comment.

MasterChef is 'bigger than individuals'

Away from the intrigue and allegations surrounding the presenters, many may simply be wondering whether one of their favourite shows will survive.

Speaking to BBC News this week, Tim Davie said MasterChef "absolutely" has a future, insisting the show is "bigger than individuals".

It has a new base in Birmingham, and all the signs are that executives are fully committed to that.

On Monday - the day the report dropped - Shine TV (owned by Banijay) posted a job advert for an "experienced Midlands-based production secretary" to work on the next series of the show, starting this August.

And the MasterChef insider I spoke to said that despite all the drama of the past week, they are still working to "make the best MasterChef ever".

Unlike many BBC shows, MasterChef is not an in-house production. In addition to the core show, it has the Professionals, Celebrities, and Christmas specials and is adapted in 65 territories worldwide.

Its viewing figures on linear TV have held up reasonably well, with 3.5 million people on average tuning in to the last series, unchanged from the year before.

Such successful formats are hard to come by, particularly in the face of increasing pressure from streaming, which is why the corporation is so keen to hang onto it.

The dilemma, rather, is what to do with the series that have already been filmed.

Last week, it was just amateurs, fronted by Wallace, that looked at risk. Now, with Torode also gone, that puts MasterChef Celebrities, filmed with Torode and Grace Dent, in jeopardy too.

The producer I spoke to said his greater concern was for the amateur chefs who have taken part in the series.

BBC News has not managed to speak to any of the chefs. A copy of the contestants' guidelines, leaked to us, shows they are forbidden from speaking until the show goes out.

But a former chef on the show told me it would be "awful" if it was scrapped, for contestants who "gave up their time, had sleepless nights, dreamt only of recipes".

The chefs are not given any compensation for lost time or income, just travel expenses, accommodation in a "fairly grim hotel" and a £20-a-day meal allowance, she added.

Whether the contestants can sue for lost income in the event of a series being filmed but not aired, is unclear.

Tim Davie indicated that Banijay is speaking to the chefs involved, and is working with them to come to a resolution. He insisted no decision has yet been made.

But some of the women who made claims about inappropriate behaviour by Wallace have asked why no-one is consulting them.

"They should not run the series," one said. Another said it would "make a mockery" of the people who have spoken out.

Unanswered questions

So, after a bruising week, there are still many unanswered questions.

We still don't know who will replace Wallace and Torode. Names being floated include Grace Dent - who has already stepped in on Celebrity MasterChef - and Matt Tebbutt, from Saturday Kitchen.

Executives will clearly be hoping for a fresh start - a palate cleanser if you like - for the show as well as for the wider TV industry.

Whether viewers would bond with new presenters remains to be seen. But unlike other shows, such as Top Gear, which are centred around their presenters, MasterChef was never really about Wallace and Torode.

Readers may also wonder what the men may do next.

For now, Torode's weekend programme is still in ITV's schedule, due to air on Saturday morning. But he will no longer be headlining a food festival next month, with Durham County Council saying he had "decided to take some time out".

Meanwhile, Wallace has posted on Instagram offering his services as a weight loss expert for £200 per session.

More details may emerge about the swearing incident - and the unsubstantiated allegations - prompting further investigations and recriminations about who knew what, when.

The producer I spoke to says what's been reported, "doesn't feel like the show we've been working on over the years".

He said it was a relief to know the show he loves will continue, adding, "I didn't want to see it go down this way."

Additional reporting by Insaf Abbas.

Sylvanian Families has become embroiled in a legal battle with a TikTok creator who makes comedic videos of the children's toys in dark and debauched storylines.

The fluffy creatures, launched in 1985, have become a childhood classic. But the Sylvanian Drama TikTok account sees them acting out adult sketches involving drink, drugs, cheating, violence and even murder.

The Japanese maker of the toys, Epoch Company Ltd, filed a copyright infringement case in the US saying the videos are causing "irreparable injury" to its reputation.

The owner of the TikTok account, Thea Von Engelbrechten, from Ireland, filed a counternotice claiming her works were "parody".

The skits are such a hit that the account has 2.5 million followers and the videos have racked up 68 million likes. Sylvanian Drama also has accounts on Instagram, YouTube, X and Facebook.

It has partnered with major brands including Marc Jacobs, Burberry, Netflix and Hilton for advertising posts.

Sylvanian Families are marketed as "an adorable range of distinctive animal characters with charming and beautiful homes, furniture and accessories".

They live in stylish houses surrounded by luscious greenery, woodland, a meadow and a river.

Characters have names like Freya the Chocolate Rabbit girl, Ambrose the Walnut Squirrel baby and Pino the Latte Cat baby.

They usually have wholesome adventures with stories entitled Picnic by the sea, Surprise shopping trip and Ice cream for everyone.

'Insecure people, diet culture, toxic men'

But the SylvanianDrama TikTok account sees the creatures in costumes and fake eyelashes, with captions saying things like "My marriage is falling apart" and "My boyfriend won't post me on Instagram".

Court documents filed by Epoch with the Southern District of New York on 4 July and seen by the BBC accuse Ms Von Engelbrechten of infringing the company's copyright without its permission, causing irreparable injury to its goodwill and reputation.

The court document states that in an interview with influencer marketing company Fohr, Ms Von Engelbrechten said her inspiration for the storylines came from "cringey TV shows and early 2000s comedy".

She went on: "I'm also really inspired by my cats because they are extremely sassy and self-obsessed and can be so cute, but they also have no morals when it comes to killing other animals. I try to embody that with the Sylvanians."

Asked why she thought her videos were so popular she told Fohr: "Maybe it's because it's coming from the voice of a 22-year-old who struggles with the same things as [they do]. I have a lot of storylines about insecure people, diet culture, toxic men, and sustainability, which I think other girls my age are also thinking a lot about."

A date has been set for 14 August for a pre-trial conference. This is when legal teams from both sides meet to explore settlement options or prepare the case for trial.

Epoch Company Ltd and Ms Von Engelbrechten did not respond to the BBC's requests for comment.

A vaccination programme to tackle respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is to be extended to cover premature babies born in Northern Ireland.

A long-acting injection is to be offered for eligible children from this autumn.

RSV is a common, but highly infectious, respiratory virus that affects the breathing system, particularly in young children and older adults.

It infects 90% of children by the age of two and is one of the leading causes of hospitalisation in the first year of life.

An RSV vaccine has been available to pregnant women in Northern Ireland since last September and is offered from 28 weeks of pregnancy.

The new programme will cover those infants born very prematurely and too early to benefit from the RSV vaccination given to their mothers.

The single Nirsevimab injection offers about 80% protection and replaces Palivizumab, which gives 55% protection and is administered up to five times.

It follows advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

Chief Medical Officer Sir Michael McBride said: "Vaccinations have been extremely effective in eradicating diseases and protecting children and other vulnerable groups from serious illness and death.

"Worryingly, we are now seeing a decline in the uptake of childhood immunisations.

"Vaccinations offer children the very best start in life. Quite simply, if children aren't vaccinated, they're not protected."

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said the new vaccine would strengthen winter preparedness in the health service and reduce pressures on GPs, emergency departments and hospital admissions.

Once upon a time in a land far, far away (well, Liverpool), there was a heroic warrior called Wayne and a beautiful princess named Coleen... That, anyway, is the story of a new spoof fairytale fantasy show by one of the writers of TV's Motherland, who says it's her homage to the Rooneys.

Wayne and Coleen Rooney's life story has some elements of an epic saga - they have stuck together through thick and thin, and have both vanquished some formidable foes (him on the football pitch, her in court).

So creating a stage show that makes them characters in a fantasy world loosely inspired by The Lord of the Rings - with added jokes and songs - might just have a bizarre but brilliant logic.

The Legend of Rooney's Ring opened at the Royal Court theatre in Liverpool on Friday, and has its basis in a famous if not-necessarily-accurate myth from the couple's origin story.

In 2004, a tabloid newspaper claimed that Coleen had thrown her £25,000 engagement ring out of a car window at a red squirrel reserve after reports about Wayne's behaviour.

That attracted a flock of treasure hunters. "The next day everyone came out," says the play's writer Helen Serafinowicz, who's from Liverpool.

"The rumour had spread, and everyone was looking for it with their metal detectors and stuff. I've always just thought that was such a Liverpool story, whether it's true [or not]. I've heard lots of different versions of it."

Coleen addressed the incident in her 2007 autobiography, saying she and Wayne were "going through a rough patch" but that "you shouldn't always believe what you read".

Serafinowicz, one of the creators of hit sitcoms Motherland and Amandaland, saw comic value in merging the urban myth of Coleen's supposedly missing engagement band with JRR Tolkien's classic ring quest.

So she has written "a Game of Thrones-y, Lord of the Rings-type of medieval caper".

"What I wanted to avoid is targeting the Rooneys," she stresses. "They are an easy target, and I don't want this to be like dragging them through the mud, because that's easy and they've already had that.

"I mean, I just think they're great. I've always just thought Coleen was so cool and a great role model.

"So it's just a silly fantasy tale, loosely based on this ring."

In the show, the football legend is portrayed by Liverpool comedian John May. "I'm dressed like He-Man, let's put it that way," he says of Wayne's makeover to resemble the macho, scantily-clad, sword-wielding 1980s cartoon hero.

It's all deliberately over-the-top and tongue-in-cheek, but the cast insist any ridicule is entirely affectionate. The couple have arguably earned respect by surviving various highs and lows in the public eye, which began with intense press scrutiny when they were childhood sweethearts.

"They were only kids, and that wasn't on," adds May. "So it's created two really strong characters, because they've had to be.

Emma Grace Arends is playing Coleen on stage, and can hardly contain her excitement.

"I've listened to her autobiography about two or three times now. She's got the documentary on Disney. I've really done my research on her," the actress says.

"It just made me love her even more, and we all do. She's brilliant, she really is, and she's a true Scouser.

"But also, they aren't actually Wayne and Coleen in it. It is fantasy, it is Lord of the Rings."

The Legend of Rooney's Ring is typical of the homegrown comedies that come thick and fast at the Royal Court, which probably has a closer connection with its local crowd than any comparable theatre in the UK.

The venue aims to stage only original crowd-pleasing plays, often using sport-related stories to attract audiences in the football-mad city.

Recent shows have included Red or Dead, starring Peter Mullan as former Liverpool manager Bill Shankly; and Speedo Mick The Musical, about the Everton-supporting charity hero.

"That audience want to be entertained and they like things that are relevant to them," says executive producer Kevin Fearon.

"We focus on comedy and musical comedy. We focus on stories that relate to people in Liverpool, and we put characters on stage that relate to those people - people they could recognise, even if they are larger than life."

The theatre is making its mark beyond Liverpool, too - it staged the premiere of a stage adaptation of 1980s TV show Boys From the Blackstuff, which transferred to the National Theatre and West End.

Otherwise, old classics are out, though. "Our audience wants to see things they know on stage. So giving them an Ibsen or a Shakespeare or an Alan Bennett doesn't really work," Fearon says.

He really got the message when the venue revived Michael Frayn's 1982 farce Noises Off in 2014 – and he had to plead with a group of 10 women to stay for the second half.

"Ten minutes into act two, one of them stood up, then another, and then all of them stood up. One of them turned around and saw me at the back and gave me two fingers as they left the auditorium.

"They were watching a bunch of middle-class actors being daft, and that's not real enough for them.

"So our work has to connect with those people who will walk out, will go to the pub."

Lindzi Germain plays Queen Colette, Coleen's mum, in The Legend of Rooney's Ring, and has starred in many Royal Court shows. "We're not sitting you there for two hours being serious, taking you on a journey where you've got to think about something," she says.

"You haven't got to think of anything. Just sit down, have a drink, relax and have a laugh and escape for two hours."

The theatre's informal atmosphere is helped by having tables in the stalls where food is served. For many people, the venue has taken the place of social clubs that have shut down, Germain says.

"They come in at half six, get their tea, meet all their mates and watch two hours.

"Some people get absolutely hammered. Some people just have a few drinks, but also have a great night out and a laugh."

The Legend of Rooney's Ring is at the Liverpool Royal Court until 23 August

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Stephen Colbert took viewers by surprise this week when he announced The Late Show would be heading for the big TV schedule in the sky.

The long-running series, which he has hosted since 2015, will leave screens next May. And not because Colbert is being replaced by a new presenter - the show is ending altogether.

Given the way the broadcasting winds are blowing, this cancellation is unlikely to be the last. Viewers will now be wondering whether Seth Meyers or one of the Jimmys - Fallon and Kimmel - might soon follow.

TV critic Emma Bullimore notes the late-night chat show format has historically thrived in the US in a way that other countries, including the UK, have always "admired but struggled to emulate".

"Late night shows are a staple of American TV in the same way British television would look odd without soaps or afternoon quizzes," she says. "This cancellation certainly comes as a surprise, both in the decision itself and the way it has been delivered."

Some viewers were similarly taken aback. "I'm not big into late night TV anymore," wrote one, "but this feels weird. The Late Show is an institution." Another described the news as "really, really bad, not just for the state of late TV but also in a general sense for the state of media".

But the traditional chat show format, which was created decades ago, finds itself facing several issues in the current television landscape.

For one thing, the kind of content they produce is arguably no longer compatible with audience appetite.

"These types of programmes are generally not a genre people will stream or watch via catch-up," says Frances Taylor, TV Previews Editor at Radio Times. "They're nightly and they're topical and are therefore pretty much out of date just 24 hours later.

"It's tricky for them to have life outside of that nightly broadcast, whereas dramas, documentaries and sitcoms don't suffer from that problem."

Added to which, it can be increasingly difficult for bookers to get good guests, and not just because they have four shows a week to fill.

Chat shows used to be one of the first places for publicists to offer their stars, but the huge number of competitors that have sprung up over the last 15 years has changed that.

Appearing on popular social media or YouTube formats such as Chicken Shop Date or Snack Wars arguably now hold more appeal, both for the celebrity, who can goof around and not reveal as much of much of themselves, and for their PR teams, who feel safer if they can keep their talent away from potentially more difficult questions.

That's not to say viral moments can't come from traditional TV. Chat shows have done their best to adapt to the times over the last decade.

Segments such as James Corden's Carpool Karaoke and Fallon's Wheel of Musical Impressions reflected a new blueprint, where features were invented with online appeal front of mind.

And it worked, too. Audiences love clips based on "bits" rather than chat. Graham Norton's best performing YouTube clip, with more than 100m views, is the time Will Smith broke away from the sofa for an all-star musical performance.

Colbert has 10m YouTube subscribers - a healthy number for sure, but a weaker figure than Kimmel's 20m and Fallon's 32m.

It's worth noting that, even before the invention of streaming, the world of US chat shows was always a competitive, dog-eat-dog world.

But the big TV advertising bucks that kept so many of them afloat have vanished, having gone down with the terrestrial TV ship.

Fundamentally, the format's raison d'être is now under question. Taylor notes that, by the time chat shows are broadcast, "most people will already be across all of the major stories from the day".

"Not only that, but their social feeds will be full of social creators feeding that appetite for topical, satirical content, be it with impressions of the US President or having an irreverent take on Elon Musk's latest venture."

She references John Mulaney's recent attempt to bring a live chat show to Netflix, with mixed results.

Its future now looks uncertain, and Mulaney recently said he and the team were "figuring out" what their next move would be, stopping short of committing to a second season.

"That doesn't exactly sound as though it was a runaway success," Taylor says.

Political pressure?

Colbert told viewers The Late Show's cancellation was ultimately a financial decision - which is certainly a credible explanation.

Television is expensive to make, with huge teams of producers, directors, camera operators and other technical staff, not to mention the large fee for the presenter.

And while YouTubers can now offer an increasingly professional operation themselves, they can do so at a fraction of the cost.

But the cancellation still puzzled some. The Late Show was one of CBS's top shows, attracting an average audience of 2.57m viewers in 2024.

Its ratings actually improved under Colbert, particularly after it began skewering the Trump administration - the host is one of the president's most vocal critics.

As a result, some have questioned whether the show's cancellation has anything to do with political pressure.

Its closure comes after CBS parent company Paramount settled with US President Donald Trump over the editing of a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris.

President Trump said the way his presidential rival's answer to a question about Israel was presented on two different platforms made her look more favourable to viewers.

CBS noted at the time its settlement did not include a statement of apology or regret. Business commentators said the deal was made partly so as to not affect Paramount's planned merger with Skydance Media, which Trump had the power to halt.

Speaking after the The Late Show's cancellation was announced, Democratic Senator Adam Schiff said: "If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better."

The sentiment was echoed by Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, who noted the show's cancellation came three days after Colbert's criticism of the Paramount settlement.

There is no evidence that this was a factor - but it highlights the political climate in which this decision has been made.

In their statement announcing the end of The Late Show, CBS said it was a "purely financial decision" and "not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount".

It's not clear what will be next for Colbert himself. He may be snapped up by a streamer, or try to move his current show online.

Piers Morgan's Uncensored provides a potential model - a programme which started on television and still looks like a TV show, but later moved, successfully, to YouTube.

The Late Show brand is "strong, storied and irreplaceable, and no host is funnier and more thoughtful - soulful - than Stephen Colbert", said John Avlon, a media executive and former Democratic congressional nominee.

"That's why he is loved by a loyal audience and they will follow him to whatever he does next."

Other TV chat show hosts have found new formats in order to stay relevant. Colbert's predecessor David Letterman was able to still attract A-list guests when he moved to Netflix in 2018 for a new series, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.

If all else fails, there's one other option available to Colbert. He is currently one of the only existing celebrities without his own podcast.

John Horsley was gardening when he felt a wasp crawl down his T-shirt.

"That stung me a few times in the back," he says. "It wasn't a pleasant experience."

Part of the British Pest Control Association, John is well-versed in the problems wasps can cause gate-crashing picnics or beer gardens on a summer's day, and building bothersome nests.

After a downtick in wasp callouts in recent summers, his industry has been busier than usual tackling problems caused by wasps this year, he says. These can include large nests appearing earlier in the season.

Wasps are currently still raising their young, but later in the summer they tend to congregate in public areas seeking a sugary snack before they die.

So is this shaping up to be a summer of the wasp? "We don't have plagues of insects," Mr Horsley explains. "But it seems that every few years, wasps will have a strong year and that commonly coincides with particular weather patterns – this year it's been very warm and very dry – it's been a very good year for them."

The Met Office says we have had the warmest spring in more than 50 years. Last year, the UK had its coolest summer for nine years.

One of the world's leading wasp experts, Prof Seirian Sumner of University College London, cautions that scientific data on wasp numbers will not be released for a while.

But her gut feeling is that "all the signs are, based on the weather and other insect populations, it is going to be a good year for wasps".

The UK has about 9,000 species of wasps - most of them solitary, meaning they don't live in large colonies and are generally not a nuisance to humans.

Only a small number are social wasps, such as the common wasp, Vespula vulgaris, which is most common for interacting with humans. According to a 2021 YouGov poll, they are the second most disliked insect in the UK, after the spider.

But Prof Sumner and other wasp experts point out that wasps are not all bad.

"They are really important parts of the ecosystem – they're apex predators," she says.

"Take a top predator out of any system – like the lion out of Serengeti – it has knock-on effects in the prey populations that will then go unchecked by their predator.

"And wasps are free, natural pest controllers – so they are doing jobs in our gardens, in our wild landscapes, in our farming landscapes. They are helping keep pests at bay."

Living alongside wasps - without being stung

Nikki Banfield, of the insect charity Buglife, says we need to look after wasps.

"A lot of people don't like wasps, they class them as angry bees, but they have a really valid purpose in the natural world," she says.

In that wider natural world, recent studies show widespread declines in global insect populations, with some insect species being pushed towards extinction.

Insect loss is linked to intensive agriculture, pesticides and climate change, with far-reaching consequences for the many birds, amphibians, bats and reptiles that rely on insects for food.

But the common wasp appears to be bucking this trend – its population remaining stable over the past 100 years – along with houseflies, cockroaches and the European hornet, which is increasing across the UK and moving northward as the climate warms.

Sightings of the invading Asian or yellow-legged hornet, which arrived in the UK in 2016, are also on the rise.

​​And after a poor year for butterflies in 2024, naturalists say many common species, such as the Large White, also appear to be flourishing this summer.

​​Ladybirds too, seem to be enjoying the warmer temperatures, according to experts.

So, luckily for the ecosystem – but perhaps unluckily for our picnics – wasps appear to be thriving here in the UK.

How can we live alongside each other happily then?

Ms Banfield suggests we leave something sweet, such as a small cap of jam or orange juice, a short distance from the picnic area to distract the insects.

Other practical tips include not screaming, flapping your arms or swatting at wasps, as this will agitate them and make them more aggressive.

Wasp stings can pose a public health risk – they can cause anaphylactic shock - Mr Horsley points out, so he has a word of advice.

"Don't disturb them. Try and stay away from them where possible, and, if it needs to be treated then speak to a professional," he says.

A US tech company announced that it has launched an investigation after a big screen embrace at a Coldplay concert - rumoured to involve two of its employees, including its CEO - went viral.

In the clip, which initially appeared on a giant screen at the Boston concert, two people are seen with their arms wrapped around each other.

When their faces appear for thousands to see, the man and woman abruptly duck and hide from the camera.

Reports that both are executives at the company Astronomer and rumours of an affair sparked by the band leader's comment, then spread online, but the information remains unverified by the company.

The video of the pair swaying to music, then quickly trying to hide exploded on the internet after the concert on Wednesday night.

Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay, after seeing the pair hide, said to the crowd: "Either they're having an affair, or they're just very shy."

The initial video posted to TikTok received millions of views. It was then shared across platforms, turned into memes and made fun of on television programs.

Two days after the internet became inundated with chatter about the embrace, Astronomer put out its own statement announcing an investigation into the matter, without specifying the video.

"Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding," the statement read. "Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability. The Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly."

The man in the video is rumoured in multiple reports to be Astronomer CEO Andy Byron, who has been with the company since July 2023. Mr Byron himself has not confirmed his identity in the video. The woman was identified online as Kristin Cabot, the company's chief people officer, who has been with Astronomer since November 2024.

She has not confirmed her identity either. The BBC has been unable to confirm the identities of the people in the video.

The Astronomer statement added that Mr Byron had not released a personal statement, and that reports otherwise were incorrect. It also said no other employees were in the video.

Fake statements from Mr Byron went viral on Thursday.

El Salvador is repatriating dozens of detained Venezuelans in exchange for US nationals held in Venezuela, the governments of the US and El Salvador announced on Friday.

The central American country sent approximately 250 prisoners incarcerated in its notorious Cecot (Centre for the Confinement of Terrorism) prison in return for the release of 10 US nationals from Venezuela.

The planeload of migrants deported from the US to El Salvador is scheduled to arrive in Maiquetía, Venezuela later on Friday.

Relations between Salvadorean leader Bukele and US President Donald Trump have warmed significantly in recent months, especially as Bukele has agreed to detain deported US migrants.

A senior administration official told reporters on Friday that, with the release, there are currently no longer any US nationals being held by the government of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.

"Today, we have handed over all the Venezuelan nationals detained in our country, accused of being part of the criminal organization Tren de Aragua (TDA)," Bukele said in a post on X.

He said the exchange was done in return "for a considerable number of Venezuelan political prisoners" as well as the US citizens.

In a separate post, US Secretary of State Marc Rubio confirmed the exchange and thanked Bukele and American officials.

The Venezuelans had originally been deported by the US under the Trump administration to El Salvador earlier this year, under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, which gives a US president power to detain and deport natives or citizens of "enemy" nations without usual processes.

A senior Trump administration official told reporters on Friday that El Salvador made the "independent decision" to release the Venezuelan prisoners - which it considers to be gang members - for humanitarian reasons.

The exchange of Venezuelans for Americans facilitated by El Salvador highlights the strong relationship between Trump and Bukele - the self-styled "world's coolest dictator".

"This deal would not have been possible without President Bukele," the administration official said. "We extend our deep, deep gratitude."

The Salvadoran leader visited Trump in the White House in April, where the pair appeared friendly as they spoke to reporters, often laughing and cracking jokes together.

Bukele has backed the deportation of migrants from the United States to El Salvador's Cecot maximum security jail.

Trump said at the time that Bukele is "really helping out" the US out by facilitating these detentions, as the Salvadoran president responded that his country is "very eager to help".

Around the same time, Bukele first proposed swapping Venezuelan deportees for "political prisoners", including family members of Venezuelan opposition figures, journalists and activists detained in a government electoral crackdown in 2024.

"The only reason they are imprisoned is for having opposed you and your electoral fraud," he wrote to Maduro on X.

"However, I propose a humanitarian agreement that includes the repatriation of 100% of the 252 Venezuelans who were deported, in exchange for the release and surrender of an identical number (252) of the thousands of political prisoners you hold."

The senior administration official said that while the deal only pertained to US nationals kept in Venezuela, the Trump administration is still actively working on the release of "dozens" of political prisoners held by the Maduro government.

A police dog who took part in Queen Elizabeth II's funeral has died following a car crash, his force has said.

PD Bert, a five-year-old springer spaniel belonging to Cleveland Police, was in a dog support unit vehicle with an officer and another dog when it collided with a BMW in Hartlepool at around 21:00 BST on Thursday.

Both dogs were taken to the vet, where due to the severity of his injuries, PD Bert was put to sleep, the force said.

The other dog was found to be unharmed and the officer suffered minor injuries.

A 33-year-old man was arrested following the incident and has been charged with drink driving, but police said it was continuing to investigate the "full circumstances".

The suspect has since been bailed and is due to appear at Teesside Magistrates' Court on August 1.

PD Bert had served with Cleveland Police as a sniffer dog for three-and-a-half years, tasked with detecting drugs, cash and firearms.

He was praised by the force for once using his sense of smell to locate £250,000 in a single search.

He, along with the other dog and their police handler, had been responding to an emergency incident when the crash occurred.

PD Bert was deployed to London in September 2022 as part of the policing operation around the late Queen's funeral, when an estimated one million people attended to watch the procession through the capital.

Parts of the UK are braced for potentially dangerous flash flooding as thunderstorms and torrential rain are set arrive over the weekend.

The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for south-east England as more than a month's worth of rain is forecast to fall in a matter of hours on Saturday morning.

It says fast-flowing and deep floodwaters are likely, leading to road and transport disruption, as well as power cuts.

The torrential downpours come days after a third UK heatwave of the year that parched swathes of the UK and led to several hosepipe bans being declared.

This will make flooding more likely and severe as the dry ground will not be able to absorb as much water.

• Why drought can lead to dangerous flooding

The amber warning covers a stretch of the south coast, London and Cambridge, and is in force from 04:00 BST to 11:00 on Saturday.

Between 20 and 40mm of rain could fall within an hour in this area, the Met Office has warned, which could accumulate to 70-100mm in just a few hours.

It said homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, which will happen "quickly", while this amount of surface water will make driving difficult and may lead to road closures.

Lightning strikes, hail and strong winds may also cause train and bus cancellations.

Yellow weather warnings will cover the rest of eastern, central and northern England and a portion of eastern Scotland. A yellow warning is already in force for parts of eastern England.

Amber warnings indicated there is an increased chance severe weather could affect people's day-to-day lives, including a potential danger to life. Yellow warnings are less severe.

The last amber warning over London was in January 2024, when Storm Henk hit parts of central England and Wales, according to the Met Office.

After arriving on Friday night, the storm is forecast to move inland, pushing northwards across England on Saturday morning before arriving in Scotland by midday.

Yellow warnings for rain cover parts of England and Scotland on Sunday and Monday as residual parts of the storm linger.

Last weeks heatwave brought travel disruption, a number of water-related deaths and hosepipe bans being declared for millions living in Yorkshire, Kent and Sussex.

One might think a heavy dose of rainfall would help reduce these drought conditions - but because the rain will be very heavy in localised areas, it will run off the dry, baked earth rapidly, perhaps overwhelming local sewers and waterways.

A substantial recovery in reservoir and groundwater aquifer levels would require a more sustained spell of wet weather.

Yorkshire's hosepipe ban is expected to last until winter.

Thunderstorms following a heatwave in the summer of 2022 brought flash flooding to London and the surrounding areas, flooding roads and Tube stations.

The rainfall also caused cancellations and delays at Gatwick Airport.

Three police officers were killed in an explosion at a County Sheriff's Department training facility in East Los Angeles, officials say.

The explosion occurred at the Biscailuz Center Academy Training on Friday morning at around 07:30 local time (15:30 BST), according to first responders.

Confirming the deaths in a post on X, US Attorney General Pam Bondi called it a "horrific incident" and said that federal agents have been deployed on the scene and are "working to learn more".

It was unclear what caused the explosion or if there were any more victims.

The explosion occurred in a parking lot of the Special Enforcement Bureau at the facility, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department (LASD) told BBC's US partner CBS News.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has been briefed about the explosion and he is "closely monitoring the situation", his office said in a statement on X.

Newsom's office added that state assistance has also been offered to help respond to the incident.

Kathryn Barger, Chief of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, wrote in a statement that she is "closely tracking the situation as we learn more about what occurred and the condition of those affected".

"My heart is heavy, and my thoughts are with the brave men and women of the Sheriff's Department during this difficult time," she said.

A school's head teacher says she feels "complete devastation" after one of her pupils was killed in a coach crash.

A 10-year-old boy died after a coach returning pupils to Minehead Middle School after a trip to Exmoor Zoo crashed in Somerset on Thursday.

Six other children remain in hospital - two at Bristol Children's Hospital and four in Somerset. Three adults are also being treated in hospital in Somerset, police say.

The school's head teacher Laura Mackie said the loss was "unimaginable", adding: "[I'm] thinking of the student that we lost, their family, their friends, all of their loved ones."

Avon and Somerset Police declared a major incident after the single-vehicle collision at Cutcombe Hill near Wheddon Cross at about 15:00 BST on Thursday.

The coach flipped onto its roof and slid down a bank.

Local mother-of-two Lianna O'Connor said: "I think as a community it's just as one mum cries, every other mum cries."

The coach was carrying about 70 people, many of them pupils from Minehead Middle School. In total, 21 passengers were taken to hospital.

Avon and Somerset Police said an investigation into the cause of the crash will take place and they have urged witnesses to come forward.

"Recovery of the vehicle and collision investigation are complex, and we expect the road to remain closed for a considerable time," a police spokesperson added.

Cranes are being used to recover the overturned coach.

One father said his 10-year-old daughter was on the school trip, but travelled on a different coach.

"I was able to pick [my daughter] up from school and didn't know anything until we got home," he said.

"It's just unbelievable isn't it?

"[I'm] absolutely devastated for the families and people on the bus that crashed."

The school's headteacher Laura Mackie laid flowers and said she was feeling "absolute devastation and heartbreak".

"[I'm] thinking of my staff team who are amazing, dedicated, and all of our wonderful students that have been affected and impacted by this awful, awful incident. It's just been horrific," she added.

Rachel Gilmour, MP for Tiverton and Minehead, said she was working with Somerset Council to seek funding from central government for therapy for the affected children.

Ms Gilmour said she was "completely distraught" after the crash in her constituency.

She said: "One becomes an MP and bizarrely, we don't think about this sort of thing, we think about the NHS and looking after our farmers and things like that.

"And then this, this is what being a community MP is all about. I've just been in to see the head teacher, I'm a big hugger, so I've been giving a lot of hugs today."

A spokesperson for Exmoor Zoo said they "cannot believe that fate has been so cruel to such a lovely, lively, well-behaved group of children".

"All our thoughts, blessings and prayers go out to everybody involved, we cannot comprehend what the children, their parents, teachers and emergency crews are all going through now," they added.

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Parts of the UK are braced for potentially dangerous flash flooding as thunderstorms and torrential rain are set arrive over the weekend.

The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for south-east England as more than a month's worth of rain is forecast to fall in a matter of hours on Saturday morning.

It says fast-flowing and deep floodwaters are likely, leading to road and transport disruption, as well as power cuts.

The torrential downpours come days after a third UK heatwave of the year that parched swathes of the UK and led to several hosepipe bans being declared.

This will make flooding more likely and severe as the dry ground will not be able to absorb as much water.

• Why drought can lead to dangerous flooding

The amber warning covers a stretch of the south coast, London and Cambridge, and is in force from 04:00 BST to 11:00 on Saturday.

Between 20 and 40mm of rain could fall within an hour in this area, the Met Office has warned, which could accumulate to 70-100mm in just a few hours.

It said homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, which will happen "quickly", while this amount of surface water will make driving difficult and may lead to road closures.

Lightning strikes, hail and strong winds may also cause train and bus cancellations.

Yellow weather warnings will cover the rest of eastern, central and northern England and a portion of eastern Scotland. A yellow warning is already in force for parts of eastern England.

Amber warnings indicated there is an increased chance severe weather could affect people's day-to-day lives, including a potential danger to life. Yellow warnings are less severe.

The last amber warning over London was in January 2024, when Storm Henk hit parts of central England and Wales, according to the Met Office.

After arriving on Friday night, the storm is forecast to move inland, pushing northwards across England on Saturday morning before arriving in Scotland by midday.

Yellow warnings for rain cover parts of England and Scotland on Sunday and Monday as residual parts of the storm linger.

Last weeks heatwave brought travel disruption, a number of water-related deaths and hosepipe bans being declared for millions living in Yorkshire, Kent and Sussex.

One might think a heavy dose of rainfall would help reduce these drought conditions - but because the rain will be very heavy in localised areas, it will run off the dry, baked earth rapidly, perhaps overwhelming local sewers and waterways.

A substantial recovery in reservoir and groundwater aquifer levels would require a more sustained spell of wet weather.

Yorkshire's hosepipe ban is expected to last until winter.

Thunderstorms following a heatwave in the summer of 2022 brought flash flooding to London and the surrounding areas, flooding roads and Tube stations.

The rainfall also caused cancellations and delays at Gatwick Airport.

Swan numbers have begun to recover on the Thames, after a couple of years of worrying decline, according to an annual royal survey of swans.

A five-day search along the Thames, completed on Friday, found 115 young swans, rather than 86 last year, showing signs that the disappearance of swans could be beginning to be reversed.

The traditional count is called "swan upping", but in recent years it has been more like swan downing, with numbers plunging because of avian flu and human cruelty, including reports of swans being attacked by catapults and air guns.

But the new figures released by the King's swan marker, David Barber, show a more optimistic picture, after a 45% fall over the past two years.

The tradition of swan upping sees six boats sailing from Sunbury Lock in west London to Abingdon Bridge in Oxfordshire, with the "swan uppers" counting, weighing and giving a health check to young swans found along the way.

The annual event has also become a popular spectacle, with crowds gathering along the riverbank in the sunshine to watch the boats go past, with their colourful flags and crews in ceremonial outfits.

The fall in swan numbers had threatened to make the classic image of swans on the Thames an increasingly rare sight.

But the swan uppers have more positive news about the swan population and will be hoping a corner has been turned. Although it's still down on the 155 counted in 2022.

At the outset of the trip, Mr Barber said he was hoping that avian flu had "eased off", after an impact on the swan population that had been "quite disastrous".

"Fortunately, there has been a decrease in reported cases of the disease in the River Thames area in recent months," said the King's swan marker.

With a swan's feather in his cap and wearing a scarlet jacket, Mr Barber spoke of the risks to swans nesting on the Thames.

He said their search found swans needing to be cleaned from pollution such as engine oil. Fishing tackle was a longstanding problem and there were attacks from dogs and vandalism from humans.

Swan upping dates back to the 12th Century and was once about counting royal property - with the monarch having ownership of unmarked mute swans swimming on open water.

But is now more about conservation and education, involving schools along the route and helping to teach young people to respect and protect swans.

In particular Mr Barber wants to discourage young people from the mistreatment of swans - such as shooting them with catapults, which he says causes terrible suffering.

The figures so far show a more hopeful picture for swans on the Thames.

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